


and i will wait (i will wait for you)

by imalivebecauseirondad



Series: coming back to you [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Actually this was inspired by that scene where Pepper gets Tony's message, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, F/M, Fix-It, I love those two, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Canon Fix-It, Tony comes back because I refuse to let him die, and he deserves better, in a weird way, references to IM3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:35:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24059842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imalivebecauseirondad/pseuds/imalivebecauseirondad
Summary: "I love you 3000."Pepper watches Tony smile, then the hologram disappears. She shuts her eyes, a few tears escaping her eyes.I miss you, she thinks. I miss you.
Relationships: Pepper Potts & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Series: coming back to you [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1735963
Comments: 4
Kudos: 52





	and i will wait (i will wait for you)

**Author's Note:**

> Another installation written at 4 in the morning. Hope you enjoy!

" _I love you 3000._ "

Pepper watches Tony smile, then the hologram disappears. She shuts her eyes, a few tears escaping her eyes.

 _I miss you,_ she thinks. _I miss you._

The wind tousles her hair. It's a cloudy evening, with dark skies that reflect her mood. Pepper picks up the helmet and presses her forehead against it, another tear slipping down her cheek. She remembers a time, maybe ten years ago, when she stood in the same position, unable to believe that Tony was just...gone, after his house was bombed.

Even now, she can't really believe it, because the thing is, Tony _always_ comes back.

Always.

After the Ten Rings, New York, the Malibu mansion was destroyed, Siberia, the snap- he always came back. And she always waited for him.

Even now there's a part of her that's still waiting, even though she knows he's really, truly gone this time.

Another tear slips down her cheek, and she thinks again about the mansion. A bitter smile crosses her face, and she puts on the helmet.

 _For old times sake,_ she tells herself, though a small voice in her mind whispers about a possible message from Tony. She turns the helmet around and peers inside. There's no blinking red light this time, and she mentally scoffs at herself. _Well, what did you expect?_ She puts on the helmet slowly.

"Retinal scan verified," FRIDAY says. Her voice sounds warmer and happier than it's been since Tony's...death. "Hello, Miss Potts." 

And then-

"Hey, Pep." Tony's voice says, and she catches her breath, tears forming in her eyes.

_This can't be real, this can't be real, this can't-_

_"_ I know what you're thinking, and yeah, Pep, this is 100 percent real." She lets out a sob, hands coming up to grip the edges of the mask. A disbelieving smile crosses her face. "I-I'm not sure what happened, actually, but I had this weird dream, and then I woke up in Tennessee, just like I did after the mansion incident. And now I'm at Harley's- remember him?"

There's a pause, and Pepper holds her breath, still sure this is some kind of dream, a hallucination, that this is a sick joke the universe is playing on her. When he speaks again, Tony's voice is softer.

"I'm coming home, Pep, I swear. I'll be there as soon as I can. Tell Morgan and Pete I'm alive, and that I'll see them soon. And tell them I love them. I'm..."

Tony sighs, and another tear slips out. She'd thought she'd never hear that sound again.

"I'm sorry, Pepper. I'm sorry you had to go through that, that you had to believe I was dead, and I need you to know- I didn't _want_ to leave you guys, but...I had to, or else there'd be no world left. I'm so sorry. But I'm coming home now, Pep. I swear. I love you 3000."

Tony's voice cuts off, and Pepper pulls off the helmet, letting out a teary laugh.

_He's coming home._

* * *

Pepper is there when Tony finally comes home. Everyone else is inside, after Rhodey finally convinced them to give her and Tony some privacy. He makes his way to the porch, and she's surprised by the fact that there's no visible damage to his body. She figures that whatever brought Tony back to life also fixed his injuries.

When Tony's standing in front of her, neither of them say anything for a moment. Her eyes scan his face, taking in every feature, every detail, trying to memorize every inch of his face. Finally, Tony speaks a hint of a smirk on his face- and oh, she missed his voice, missed that smirk.

"Your eyes are red. A few tears for your long lost boss?" he quips, and she lets out a teary laugh, remembering a day more than 10 years ago, when she'd only just started to realize she loved this man- and dear god, does Pepper love him. She loves this man with every fiber of her being, loves him more than she ever thought was possible.

"Tears of joy," she says, smiling at Tony. "I hate job-hunting."

Tony lets out a laugh, and then she's in his arms, and she inhales, overwhelmed by the experience of having him back. Tears stream down her face, and she knows Tony's crying too. "God, Pep," he breathes. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"I love you," she murmurs into his shoulder. 

"I know," he replies, running a hand through her hair. "I love you too."

After a long moment of just soaking up each other's presence, Pepper finally pulls away, cupping his face and kissing him. Tony's lips are soft against her own, she tastes a bit of salt- from her tears or Tony's, she doesn't know. "Come inside," she says when they break apart. "They're waiting for you."

If it's possible, Tony's face lights up even more, and he laces her fingers together. "What are we waiting for?" Tony smiles at her, soft and loving as he brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "I'm home."

_He's home._

**Author's Note:**

> come yell at me about these two on [tumblr](https://a-cannibalistic-elephant.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
